After winning her first title in nearly seven months, Aryna Sabalenka enters the upcoming US Open with brimming confidence.
The 26-year-old returned to the winners’ circle in sensational fashion at a WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati earlier this week, clinching the singles title without conceding a set.
Sabalenka completed her perfect run with a 6-3 7-5 triumph against American Jessica Pegula in the final.
“It was a really great day at the office,” a proud Sabalenka told Tennis Channel after sealing victory in 75 minutes. “It’s really important going into the US Open, so just super happy with the result.”
This snapped world No.6 Pegula’s nine-match winning streak and earned Sabalenka her first title since defending her Australian Open crown in January.
“I would say that I'm really playing great tennis,” acknowledged Sabalenka, who reclaimed the world No.2 ranking with her dominant performance at the American hard-court event.
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“Probably not like the best tennis I can play, but I'm definitely getting there. And with every match I play, I feel better, better and better.
“Hopefully at the US Open, I can keep building the level, and I can reach, maybe, even higher levels than I used to play.”
That is a scary proposition to consider for the rest of the US Open field, especially given Sabalenka has won 16 of her past 19 matches at Flushing Meadows and 20 of her past 21 matches at hard court majors.
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Following back-to-back US Open semifinal appearances in 2021 and 2022, Sabalenka went even further last year, where she lost a tight three-set final against American Coco Gauff.
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Defending champion Gauff will return to New York with just a single win from her past four matches, adding to the pressure on the world No.3’s shoulders.
Sabalenka, on the other hand, has invaluable momentum on her side after scoring three top-20 victories in Cincinnati. This included an impressive semifinal dismissal of world No.1 Iga Swiatek.
It has been a welcome return to form for Sabalenka, who was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon last month with a shoulder injury.
“I think I was really emotional in Washington and Toronto coming back after injury,” Sabalenka told WTA Insider.
“I was overreacting, and I just stepped back and realised that I played my great(est) tennis when I was calm and confident.
“I just realised that I have to be that way. There is no other way for me if I want to do well.”
Playing with greater calmness and confidence in Cincinnati immediately proved a winning formula for Sabalenka, especially on serve.
The third seed conceded just nine points across her service games in the final against Pegula, who likened her ‘high level’ to facing the legendary Serena Williams.
“I may have wanted Serena instead of Aryna,” quipped the in-form Pegula, who looms as one of Sabalenka’s biggest challengers in New York.
Swiatek, the US Open 2022 champion, also features on that list of challengers.
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The 23-year-old Pole is set to be the top seed at the final Grand Slam of the season for a third consecutive year. However, with no final appearances since her Roland Garros triumph in June and then struggling to handle Sabalenka’s power in their Cincinnati meeting, her confidence looks somewhat shaken.
China’s Zheng Qinwen made headlines when she spoiled Swiatek’s quest to win an Olympic gold medal in Paris earlier this month and could prove one to watch at Flushing Meadows too.
The world No.7 made her Grand Slam breakthrough at last year’s US Open, where she progressed to a first major quarterfinal.
The 21-year-old Zheng, of course, topped that result at Australian Open 2024, further proving her hard-court credentials by reaching the final.
When world No.4 Elena Rybakina, two-time major finalist Jasmine Paolini and reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova are thrown into the mix, there are no shortage of potential US Open title contenders.
There are also several former champions – Sloane Stephens, Emma Raducanu and wildcard recipients Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu – looking to recapture Grand Slam-winning form and a promising group of American hopefuls, led by Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro, in career-best form and threatening to make a major breakthrough.
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But are any of these players capable of stopping Sabalenka’s building momentum?
That’s arguably the biggest question leading into this year’s US Open, setting the scene for another fascinating fortnight of Grand Slam tennis.